As a frum society, we are excellent at self-flagellation. At the drop of a magazine, we can muster up long lists of all the problems in our communities. But sometimes I wonder if we know how to appreciate what we do have. Are we aware, for example, that as we speak, Western society is grappling with a serious masculinity crisis?

The New York Times, in a recent article titled “It’s Not Just a Feeling,” assures us that this is not just hype. The actual data on the ground shows how dramatically boys and young men are falling behind. For example, only 41% of college degrees now go to men. Atlantic magazine has dubbed this “the new marriage of unequals,” as more-educated women marry less-educated men. Men in the workforce are in decline – in fact, one in ten men aged 20 to 24 is doing neither school nor work. Mental health crises among young men are climbing, as is addiction and suicide – at four times the rate of young women.

And all this is just the backdrop to the most tragic part – the way this crisis is affecting family life. A whopping two-thirds of American children are born to single mothers, even as research shows that the single most important marker for success in life is being raised by two parents. As one commentator put it, women are advancing in every area – while men are becoming really excellent at video games.

Taken together, it’s clear that referring to this as a “crisis of masculinity” is not hyperbole. In fact, it might be an understatement.

Most people know that exercise becomes more important as we get older. It helps maintain strength, improve energy, and support long-term health. However, many seniors worry about exercising incorrectly and risking injury. That is why the most important principle in senior fitness is safety.

These seven simple movements can help guide a safe exercise routine for seniors. (Consult with a physician, of course, before beginning a new exercise program.) Each movement focuses on basic functions the body needs for everyday life, such as standing up, bending safely, maintaining posture, improving balance, and staying independent. Most of these exercises require nothing more than a sturdy chair.

I did not include a specific number of repetitions for each exercise because every person is different. A good initial goal is to build up to 10 repetitions per exercise. Even 10 to 15 minutes of gentle movement each day can help maintain strength and independence.

When the topic of shopping comes up in conversation and I tout my latest thrift store finds, my listeners sometimes grimace and say something like, “Oh, I would never go there.” This attitude may have been more common in the past, when buying new was a mark of our rise from impoverished immigrant origins. Today, however, thrift shopping is positively in vogue. In addition to those taking advantage of this rich source of quality goods at low, low prices, I often see well-heeled women in the thrift store, browsing for one-of-kind vintage pieces for their homes and wardrobes. There are also those who are concerned about the environment and want to recycle clothing to keep it out of the landfills – not to mention that thrift shopping is fun, an adventure in discovering the new (to us) and unexpected!

Patients with cancer undergo various treatments including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy managed by oncology and related specialties. There are certain additional measures that patients can take on their own to improve symptoms and often increase longevity. Lifestyle measures include nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress management, adequate social interaction, and avoiding risky substances. These form the six pillars of Lifestyle Medicine. In addition, spiritual matters are very important.

It has been known that exercise can prevent cancer, but only recently has there been a randomized controlled trial in patients with stage III or high-risk stage II colon cancer that showed decreased mortality with regular exercise. (New England Journal of Medicine 2025: 393:13-25). These are patients whose cancer had spread through the bowel wall to nearby structures or lymph nodes but not distant spread. After surgery and chemotherapy, patients were randomized to a structured exercise program or to only receive health education materials. There was significant improvement in survival in the exercise group versus the education group, without cancer return at five years, as well as decreased mortality at almost eight years. Improvements with exercise are in addition to those seen with the primary therapies.

“I will come and everyone else will follow.” This was the response of Rabbi Simcha Kook, zt”l, to a real estate agent who expressed surprise at the Rav’s insistence on purchasing a home in an area where there were hardly any Jews and that was frequented by Arabs.

In his book, Rav Simcha Kook, Builder of Torah, Beacon of Unity (ArtScroll 2025), Gedalia Guttentag gives readers a vivid portrait of the late Rabbi Simcha HaKohen Kook, Chief Rabbi of Yerushalayim’s Churva shul and Rechovot, a role he served in for nearly 50 years. This well-researched biography, culled from dozens of interviews portrays a man who was of shalom, a unifier, and a leading Torah scholar.

Rabbi Kook brought countless souls back to Yiddishkeit through tears, love, and diplomacy. He was a consensus builder working across ideological lines to get things done. Like his great uncle, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, zt”l, Rav Simcha led by example, and others followed.

As a Kiryat Arba resident, every Shabbos morning I try to walk down to Me’arat HaMachpela for vatikin/Daf Yomi followed by Sfat Emet study in the Beit Schneerson neighborhood of Hebron. February 28, Shabbos, was different. My childhood friend was visiting me, a 70-year-old widower, with his fiancée, and neither were vatikin people. Normally, I would take such guests to Friday night davening in the Me’ara. That davening has a magical feel, and Shabbos guests always enjoy it, whether they go with the lively Carlebach minyan or choose a more sedate minyan. But this being Ramadan, the Me’ara is closed to Jews for five Fridays. (On those five Friday mornings my Daf Yomi minyan davens in the Avraham Avinu neighborhood.) So instead, we davened at 8:00 a.m. in the Me’ara.

The recently released, English-language sefer, Badei Hamitzvos Volume 1: Bereishis and Shemos, (Feldheim 2025), by Rabbi Yitzchok Weber, is a concise, easy-to-read, and indispensable guide to the 613 mitzvos and their halachos, enlightening readers of all ages to the taryag mitzvos and the parsha. The work is arranged according to the weekly Torah portion and follows the mitzvos as laid out by the Sefer Hachinuch. The author, Rabbi Yitzchok Weber, provides sources from the Rambam, Shulchan Aruch, and Rashi, as well as other Acharonim. Volume 1 covers Bereishis and Shemos. Readers can engage in in-depth study thanks to extensive footnotes. Badei Hamitzvos has received extensive haskamos and excellent reviews for being a comprehensive yet accessible guide to the 613 mitzvos. 

Rabbi Weber* first lists a pasuk, its mitzva, halachos, and application as well as the consequences of violating the mitzvah. The in-depth footnotes provide explanations and sources. Badei Hamitzvos can also be used as a teaching tool and for Shabbos table discussion. This sefer makes learning about the mitzvos more enjoyable and gives an enhanced appreciation of the mitzvos. Readers of any age, both men and women, can appreciate this work and will learn all about each mitzvah through text and sources, according to his or her own level.

March 11: Last Monday afternoon, as we were getting ready for supper in our Ramat Beit Shemesh home, we suddenly heard a very loud boom. The house even shook a bit. There was no warning or siren. Maybe they are finally really coming? We scurried to our safe room, in case more were on the way.

It turns out that Hezbollah had landed a missile in the Emek Ha’elah Satellite Station, an array of large satellite dishes down the valley from where David fought Goliath. Few people were hurt, many were frightened, and Hezbollah claimed they had attacked a “satellite station belonging to the communications and cyber-defense corps of the Israeli enemy army in the Elah Valley.”

Now, I’m no stranger to the Elah Valley. Besides being just over the hill, it has some of the best hiking and foraging in Israel. There are top-secret military bases in the area (sorry, not telling), but the satellite station never seemed to have anything to do with the army. It is surrounded by a simple barbed wire fence, has little visible security, and can easily be found online and on Google Maps.

Sorry, Hezbollah.

For years I’ve been frustrated by the way gas stations advertise prices. The big sign shows one number, but when you get to the pump, you find out that’s the cash price. Pay with a credit card and you’re charged more. So, the question becomes: Is it worth overpaying for gas in exchange for earning points? In the end, have you gained more than you’ve lost?

Credit Card Points

Many credit cards give you points redeemable for travel. I value my miles at about 3% – meaning that, if I spend $100, I get roughly $3 worth of travel. In the past, I felt that using my credit card for gas was basically a wash: I didn’t lose, but I didn’t gain much either.

I learned recently that the new Baltimore group, Let’s Connect, will be starting a welcome wagon for any women over age 50 who move to Baltimore. What a fabulous idea that is. As you are probably aware, women who are at or near retirement age are moving to cities where their children reside. They come from Silver Spring and Denver, Boston and Atlanta – you name it. I know plenty of women from Cleveland who have moved to Lakewood, pulling up stakes and leaving the place they called home for 30 years or more. They want to be near their children and grandchildren while they are still young enough to enjoy them.

It certainly is a great idea and one my husband and I have considered, but there’s just something about Baltimore that makes the decision to move to Lakewood a hard one. As my parents have often said since moving here from the small town where they lived for 59 years, “People here are just so nice!” Everyone has a kind word to say, from the servers at the restaurants to the cashiers at the grocery stores, even the lady at the post office. Could it be Southern hospitality, I wonder, since Baltimore is at the top of the Southern states? Maybe it’s because so many generations stayed in Baltimore and have never left. No matter where my husband (who was born and bred right here) and I go, we manage to meet many people who graduated from Pikesville High.

And look at our wonderful community that’s filled with achdus as far as the eye can see. How heartwarming it is to attend events with rabbanim of every stripe. It’s a credit to them and to the people from each shul and, of course, to Ner Yisroel, which instills the importance of middos tovos. It’s incredible how often men who are at least 30 years younger than my husband stop and take the time to say hello or good Shabbos and who offer him rides to shul, come rain or shine.